We have come a long way
THE SIGNIFICANCE of the 40th anniversary of the PSOJ requires an appreciation of the environment in which the business community found itself during the decade of the 1970s and the hope that the successes achieved by dialogue, tenacity, and good sense will neither be reversed nor relegated to being merely past achievements.
Political power during the first decade of Independence was held by the Jamaica Labour Party. The 1972 General Election resulted in victory for the People’s National Party, and by 1976, there was increasing concern among the business community regarding the meaning of democratic socialism, especially as a result of the State’s expressed commitment to the enlarging of the public sector. In 1976, the response was the launching of the PSOJ at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in the presence of more than 200 persons, mainly from the private sector, including then Governor General Sir Florizel Glasspole.
Subsequently, the late Carlton Alexander, head of GraceKennedy, was elected the first president, and under his leadership, the organisation sought to persuade the political directorate to alter its course but also championed the cause of Jamaican businesses of all sizes to regard themselves as being part of the private sector.
KNEE-JERK REACTION
The environment was such that the competitive free market culture was foreign, and our politicians and bureaucrats were used to regulating and price setting and giving and withholding permission that there was an almost automatic knee-jerk reaction to anybody who stepped out of line. The spectacle was both sad and farcical, but the PSOJ, adopting the approach of focusing our energies on dialogue, kept emphasising that in addition to making the streets safe, Government’s role in business enterprise was to ensure standards of product quality. Otherwise, its general role was to give us honest money and ensure the maintenance of a free and competitive economy.
Through the efforts of successive PSOJ presidents and leadership, today, Jamaicans are experiencing Government’s willingness to meet the needs of the country.
The controversy over our country’s direction and governance has lasted for over four decades, and the recent election brings with it a chance for new and visionary thinking. Against this background, there remains a lot to be done, and my hope is that the unanimity and concord developed over the years between the PSOJ and the political directorate will remain firm in the vision of low inflation, proper control of public expenditure and prosperity, united unequivocally in finding the key to breaking the cycle of poverty.
Congratulations to those whose foresight and continuing dedication have resulted in our achievements to date. We have come a very long way, but contrary to what some among us say, I believe that what the country needs to develop is discipline even more than democracy. As we have seen in recent times, the exuberance of democracy has led to indiscipline and disorderly conditions, which are inimical to development. And I doubt very much whether successful economies could have succeeded as they have if they had to work under a system where opposition on every issue is a way of life. DENNIS LALOR Chairman, ICWI